Isiah Explains Double Standard On Slurs In Garden Trial

Isiah Thomas was in a courtroom yesterday—not on the basketball court—but he was still playing games.

Jurors heard the Knicks coach say he wouldn’t stand for a white man calling a black woman a “bitch”—but wouldn’t be as angry if the same words came from the mouth of a black man.

In a videotaped deposition played for the jury at fired Knicks exec Anucha Browne Sanders’ sexual harassment trial, Thomas said he drew a distinction between whites and blacks when it came to the B-word.

Asked if he was bothered by a black man calling a black female “bitch,” Thomas said: “Not as much. I’m sorry to say, I do make a distinction.”

“A white male calling a black female a bitch is highly offensive,” Thomas said. “That would have violated my code of conduct.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t go there. . . A white male calling a black female, that is wrong with me. I’m not taking that. I’m not accepting that. . .That’s a problem for me.”

{snip}